Padmavati: Release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film 'voluntarily deferred', confirms Viacom 18

As the tension around the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming Padmavati reached insurmountable heights, the makers of the film, Viacom 18 said they are “voluntarily deferring” the film’s release. In a recent post, PTI tweeted:

Viacom18, maker of #Padmavati, says it has voluntarily #deferred film's release date.

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 19, 2017

  [caption id=“attachment_4216489” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Deepika Padukone in and as Padmavati[/caption] A spokesperson of Viacom 18 said in a statement:

“The studio has voluntarily deferred the release date of Padmavati from 1 December, 2017. Along with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, amongst the most gifted film makers of his generation, Viacom18 Motion Pictures has created a beautiful cinematic masterpiece in Padmavati that captures Rajput valor, dignity and tradition in all its glory. The film is an eloquent portrayal of a tale that will fill every Indian with pride and showcase our country’s story-telling prowess across the globe. We are a responsible, law-abiding corporate citizen and have the highest respect and regard for the law of the land and all our institutions and statutory bodies including the Central Board of Film Certification. We always have and are committed to continue following the established procedure and convention. We have faith that we will soon obtain the requisite clearances to release the film. We will announce the revised release date of the film in due course. We stand firm in our commitment to tell endearing tales that resonate with our audiences the world over as we have in the past with our other projects such as Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Queen, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and many more.”

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The film was mired in controversies from a long time now as the Rajput community was particularly miffed with the maker’s supposed inappropriate portrayal of Queen Padmini of Chittorgarh. Padmavati stars Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in lead roles. It also stars Aditi Rao Hydari and Jim Sarbh as part of the supporting cast. Also read — Padmavati controversy: A timeline of the setbacks faced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film